


El Dorado: The Lost City of Gold

by Kaillingme (Setty94)



Series: El Dorado [1]
Category: EXO (Band), K-pop
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Historical, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-22
Updated: 2012-07-22
Packaged: 2018-11-04 09:39:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10988295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Setty94/pseuds/Kaillingme
Summary: (Transferred work from another site.)Kyungsoo is a biologist that ends up stranded in the New World where he meets Kai, the first son of the Zipa and the next in line for the throne.





	El Dorado: The Lost City of Gold

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first ever story I've written and published online. It's my first completed work and my first fandom work. It is my ultimate baby and I love it to bits. Please be gentle with it.

 

_~Diary Entry Number 1~_

_*Sigh* Let me start from the beginning…_

_Hello, I am Do Kyungsoo; I was a biologist aboard a Spanish ship headed to the New World. My job was to document and sketch all the new species of life that I found and to collect some samples if the opportunities presented themselves. Sounds pretty simple right? Well, here’s where I went wrong…somewhere between studying insects and plant life, I fell in love._

The grass was calf deep and went on for acres; Kyungsoo tugged the brim of his hat down to further protect his eyes. The skin on the back of his neck was already feeling way too hot for comfort. He glanced back at the ship that brought him here and made a mental note of the scenery around it. The rest of his shipmates were pairing off and heading along the coast, looking for any sign of inhabitance. He, on the other hand, decided to head further inland, towards the edge of a forest he could barely make out in the distance. The forest was the most likely place to find undiscovered life forms and Kyungsoo hoped to have an organism named after himself. Absentmindedly, he patted his satchel, and kept his eyes open as wide as he could in the blistering sun as he scanned the landscape once more. Concluding that it would not be too long of a distance to travel there and back before sunset, he set off towards the forest. The melodic clinking sounds of his collection jars provided a pleasant distraction from the humid heat that was plaguing him.

A few hours into his trip, Kyungsoo began to regret it; sweat beaded on his forehead and his back was soaked. However, since he was more than half-way there, he continued on. The scenery hadn’t   changed much during the first two hours apart from the ground becoming slightly softer and the grass a tad more green. His black leather boots felt hot and unsteady on the hidden rocks in the grass and his khaki colored trousers were beginning to chafe him around his legs. He took another swig of his canteen, which was more than halfway empty, carelessly gulping it down, expecting to be back before he’d need more. Stumbling over another unseen pothole, his blade slipped halfway out of its holster. Kyungsoo caught himself on all fours and stood up quickly, glancing back at the ship, which was hardly visible, brushed himself off and pinned the latch on his holster securely. He was not looking forward to having to use his sword, but would rather have one than not. Wiping his brow with the back of his gloved hand, he groaned, the trees did not look like they were getting any closer.

After traveling for almost four hours, he reached the edge of the forest. Awestruck, he stared at the ginormous trunks of the trees before him; they were easily twice the size of his arm span wide and thirty times his height. He stepped onto the moist earth and felt the temperature drop significantly, relishing the coolness of the air; he took off his hat and let it hang around his neck. He reached out his hand to touch the bark of the tree; it felt cool to the touch. He welcomed the shade from the sun giddily and had a newfound energy to begin looking for new species. His first discovery was a rather strange looking insect with an elongated body and extremely long legs. He quickly sketched the insect and gave a brief description beneath the picture.

He delved deeper into the forest, captivated by all the new wildlife he was witnessing, he stopped every few feet to quickly to draw each new animal and plant he saw in his sketch book. He found several new types of primates, most of which had never even been heard of in Spain, however, sketching them proved to be difficult as they were constantly moving about. Smiling down at his sketchbook, he could not wait to show the other biologists his findings, they would surely be impressed by all that he found and he may even be promoted from field work.

Coming across a small brook, he refilled his canteen and splashed some water on the back of his neck, he was sure it had been burned by the sun, and face to cool himself down. The clearing he had found was beautiful, it was almost perfectly circular, which gave away signs that there were human inhabitants nearby as perfect circles never existed in nature naturally. The vines that hung from the trees were thick and hearty, and the foliage was quite impermeable, allowing just enough light in to create a dream-like experience. He took a deep breath, relishing the damp, leafy smell all around him.

 _‘Of all the places I’ve been to in Spain, this is by far the most diverse forest I’ve seen yet.’_ Kyungsoo thought to himself, while sketching a particularly colorful bird. Its large curved beak was green in color and had accents of orange and red near the tip and base, it eyed him curiously before flying away. Kyungsoo yawned; suddenly feeling a little tired, he looked for a suitable spot near the roots of one of the large trees and sat placed his hat over his face in preparation of a short nap. He smiled as he closed his eyes and absorbed the sounds of the forest. The flutter of wings from various birds, the rustle of leaves from the gentle breeze and the gurgling of the brook that was nearby, there couldn’t be a more relaxing place in the world.

 

~*~

 

The turret was fit for a god, and in it lived a ‘god’ of sorts. The Zipa, believed to be the direct son of the Moon Goddess Chia, was the one who resided there. It had stone walls, and open pavilions with vibrant colored pools of water in them. There was room located at the top of the pyramid-like structure and that was where the Zipa stayed, on top of the world, able to look out at his empire and its people. The turret itself could fit twelve families at one time and rightly so as the Zipa had many wives and children. In the front was a vast courtyard that easy covered three acres, it consisted of several flower gardens, an orchard, and a crop field. It was almost always full of hardworking people tending to the gardens or harvesting food for the village. The people that lived in this village were relatively peaceful beings, so long as their goddess accepted you. They were ruled by a kind king, who was getting old with age each moon cycle. His hair was graying and his pace had slowed to that of the elders of the village. However, since he was the Zipa, he was the most respected and revered member of the village and one could only become one by blood.

The Zipa strolled along the courtyard of his palace, a pleased smile adorned his face as he watched two green and blue butterflies chase each other above his effervescent flower garden. Hands clasped behind his back, he looked to the cloudless sky, pensive, there was something in his gut was giving him a bad feeling. He had been feeling this way for three sunrises and sunsets. Today was the day he would consult the Oracle, he was in need of some clarification on his feelings and strange dreams he had been having lately.

The dreams that plagued him were those of fire and destruction of his province. One he had worked so hard to maintain peaceful. These fires were often the end result of strange looking intruders. These intruders were much paler than those of his village and were believed to be ghosts from the spirit realm coming back to claim their land. That was why they sacrificed part of their meal each day to keep their ancestors strong enough to fight off these pale ‘ghosts’ in the spirit realm. After the invasion began, soon followed sickness, grotesque sickness that spread to everyone and killed or disfigured all who contracted it. These were the types of dreams the Zipa was having, these were the types of dreams that foretold the downfall of an empire.

“Father!” Kai called out; running towards his father, spear in hand.

“Yes, son?” The Zipa smiled, shaken from his terrifying reverie. These days, he could not believe how well his son had grown up, and was sure that he’d make an amazing Zipa when the time came.

“I want to go hunting,” He grinned, shaking his spear for emphasis. “With my friends, is that okay?”

“You have my permission, son, may the Goddess Chia be with you.” He touched his son over his heart with a firm hand, wishing for his son’s protection, as was customary.

Kai returned the gesture with a bowed head, “Thank you, Father, may the Goddess Chia, be with you as well.” He paused and met his father’s gaze with determination in his eyes, “I shall return safely and bring to our village a great feast.”

His father chuckled and ruffled his hair, “That you shall, Great Hunter, that you shall.”

He stared after his son, still smiling, as he ran off towards the forest’s entrance. The feeling hit him again and his ears began to ring, he blinked twice and collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest, a strangled cry escaping his throat. One of the gardener’s rushed towards him, screaming for help, and began weeping, burying her face in her hands.

 

~*~

 

Kai jogged towards his friends, a bow and arrow case flopped against his back and he lifted his spear above his head in excitement. “Let us begin!” He yelled. “Our hunt awaits us!” They cheered with him and raised their spears above their heads in agreement.

They all split up, weaving between the trees on foot, Kai, however, took to the trees, jumping from branch to branch adeptly and without a sound. He had the clear advantage, being able to stalk his prey from above, lead to many opportunities that the others would never encounter. While their feet made the leaves crunch and undergrowth rustle, his nimble traversing produced a sound that was common within the forest and most animals never gave it more than a twitch of an ear.

Spotting a wild boar below, deracinating some sweet potato roots, he quietly removed himself from the tree and crept up behind it, raising his spear. With a bellow, he brought the spear down so fast; the boar did not even have time to react before it was dead. He knelt down over the boar’s lifeless body and whispered the traditional prayer thanking the earth for providing such food and for the return of the animal’s spirit to the spirit realm. Hoisting the boar on his shoulder, he returned to the entrance of the forest, casually glancing into the shadows for signs of his friends. Hearing the almost in audible sound of a feet landing onto moist underbrush, Kai spun around. He squinted in the direction of the sound but did not see anything out of the ordinary. He shrugged and continued on his way to the entrance of the forest. He was planning on dropping the boar off with the group of villagers that prepare the meals, because carrying around a boar this size would not be beneficial to him at all. Spotting a group of nearly nude men and woman clustered in a group he picked up his pace.

The group gasped collectively, “He’s back already?”

Kai smiled and handed the body to one the tribe members awaiting his return. The man thanked him and carried the boar with the aid of another man, whose head was completely shaved aside from a long ponytail at the crown of his head.

He took to the trees once again, hoping that this time he’d find a buck or some other larger animal. Out of the corner of his eye, there was a flash of movement below him, Kai jumped down; the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. He loaded his bow and scanned the forest once more and listened for the smallest of giveaways. Behind him, he heard the sound of a branch being pulled back he aimed his arrow, ready to strike whatever emerged from the bushes.

“Whoa!” One of his friends walked out, his hands raised in surrender. "It’s just me!”

Kai exhaled, he hadn’t realized he was holding his breath, “What are you doing this far into the forest?”

“Hunting, obviously.” His friend scoffed.

“I know that, but it’s almost dark soon,” He paused, “You should be heading back.”

“So should you.”

“I know, but I want to at least get a buck, maybe even a doe, or something.”

“You know how hard it is to get one of them, why bother?” His friend sighed.

“You know how I am.” Kai grinned.

“Yeah, I know.” He clapped Kai on the shoulder, “Good luck, try not to get eaten or anything.”

Kai smirked and traveled into the heart of the forest, hoping to spot bigger prey. He glanced down right before jumping towards the next tree, and saw a strangely dressed figure asleep by the roots. He was no buck, but he would suffice, for Kai at least. He lowered himself to the ground and examined the figure closely. The man was breathing, soft little puffs escaping his mouth, muffled only by his hat. Kai reached out tentatively and knocked the hat off the man’s face and jumped back.

_‘A ghost!’_

He stepped a little closer to examine the man’s face. His heart pounding in his chest, it had been a long time since he’d seen this kind in the forest. Kai sniffed the air, the man smelled funny, like the ocean and tobacco, the same as the others of his kind that Kai had encountered before. He seemed alive enough, but his skin was so different from anything Kai was accustomed to. He reached out a finger and poked the man’s cheek. It squished like regular skin and felt warm to the touch. The man stirred slightly, a low moan escaping his full lips as he swatted at his cheek. Kai pulled his hand back instinctively and looked around him. He spotted the man’s sketchbook and flipped through the pages, trying to figure out how the man captured the image of the forest’s fauna so elegantly. He looked through the man’s bag next, finding nothing of real interest aside from a small piece of glass that when held up to the light casted an array of colors, he put it back and closed the flap. He grabbed the man’s hat and placed it gingerly back on his face and retreated back to the bushes to watch the man.

 

~*~

 

Feeling as though he was being watched, Kyungsoo’s eyes flew open; he flailed about for a few seconds before realizing that his hat was what was blocking his vision. His cheeks reddened even though he knew no one was watching and he shook his head in embarrassment. He looked up towards the sky and cursed himself; he wouldn’t make it back before sunset. He eyed a low hanging branch and contemplated trying to climb the tree so he could safely sleep through the night, but decided against it.

A twig snapped, and Kyungsoo spun in the direction of the sound, he could make out a pair of eyes staring at him curiously. Amazed at this discovery, he slowly reached for his sketchbook and began furiously drawing the boy, who had emerged partly from the bush. His pencil traced lightly over the shape of the boys eyes as he stared at him. Every time he looked up and caught the boy’s stares, his skin broke out in goose pimples, and his throat became a little drier. He’d never seen a more beautiful specimen in his life, his skin was tanned from a life out in the sun, his hair was lusciously dark, and his eyes held the secrets of a civilization yet to be discovered. Kyungsoo traced over the boy’s lips slowly, matching each curve with a gentle stroke. He worked his way from his face down to his body, following the curve of his shoulder, sketching the contours of his bare chest and abdomen leading down to the loin cloth that he donned. Kyungsoo felt his face grow warm when he realized that was all that the boy was wearing save for the strap from his arrow bag. He filled in the background with the leaves and vines that hung behind him. He briefly wondered why the boy remained so still while he was drawing him, it was almost as if the boy knew that he was drawing him.

Kyungsoo stared at the finished product, quite satisfied with the outcome and smiled. The boy ventured closer, each step with predatory grace, and Kyungsoo turned the sketchbook so that the boy could see it. His hands shook slightly and his heart was racing, he had no clue if the boy was a peaceful human or not, but it was worth the risk. All he could think about now, was how much praise he would receive once he showed this particular sketch to his fellow biologists.

The boy stared at the drawing with a carefully controlled expression, only his eyes gave away his awe. He reached out for the sketchbook and Kyungsoo let him take it. He ran his fingers down the drawing, his fingers turning black from the graphite and peered at it closely. Then a smiled appeared on his face. He looked at Kyungsoo and pointed at the drawing and then back at himself.

Kyungsoo nodded, amazed that the boy was already attempting to converse with him. “Yes, that is you.”

The boy handed the sketchbook back to Kyungsoo and then pointed at himself again and said slowly, “Kai. Kai.” He then gestured towards Kyungsoo with a questioning look on his face.

“Nice to meet you, Kai. I’m Kyungsoo.” He said. When the boy stared at him confused, he repeated himself slowly. “Kyung-soo.” He reached out his hand for a handshake.

Kai nodded, and repeated Kyungsoo’s name with a slight accent and placed his hand on Kyungsoo’s chest and greeted him in his native tongue.

Kyungsoo froze, shocked by the sudden breach of personal space between the two, but placed his hand on Kai’s exposed chest and bowed his head slightly, “Nice to meet you.”

Kai grinned and began walking back towards his tribe. Kyungsoo faltered for a moment, before following Kai after he looked back expectantly with a smirk.

 

~*~

 

The Zipa was laying on his bed, surrounded by a multitude of lush pillows, in a dimly lit room, encircled by seventeen of his eighteen children, all six of his wives, five priests, several servants and maids, and the Oracle. He opened his eyes slightly, “Where is the heir? Where is my first born son, Kai?” He was worried that he was experiencing his last moments without his beloved first-born.

At that moment, Kai entered the palace with Kyungsoo in tow, everyone on the room froze, eyes wide as if they had just seen a ghost, and in their case, Kyungsoo was as close as they’d ever get to seeing one. Kyungsoo waved shyly and glanced anxiously around at their faces. Kai ran to his father’s side frantically. “Father, what happened? Why are you ill?” He gripped his father’s hand with both of his own.

“Son, I am okay, just the normal chest pain I receive before the Goddess contacts me. She told me that it is time you begin your duties as the heir to my throne.” He pulled him closer and whispered as he stroked Kai’s hair. “My day’s left are numbered and a great horror awaits us, son. Please be strong and carry on my legacy.”

At this, all of the Zipa’s wives began weeping, turning to each other to console their tears. They may not have heard what he said, but the expression on Kai’s face was enough for them to speculate. The Oracle spoke up, "It begins with him and his kind.” He points a knurled finger at Kyungsoo. “He will be our downfall.” The Oracle’s blind eyes looked through Kyungsoo and caused him to shiver involuntarily.

Everyone shifted awkwardly, whispering among one another and Kai stood up, motioning towards Kyungsoo. “No, he’s harmless, just a ghost. In fact, I think he’s my spirit guide.”

“That he is not, young Master. He is alive just as much as you and I. However, he cannot stay here in our village.” The Oracle shook his head solemnly, “He will bring you much sorrow, young Master. Do not let his expression fool you. He brings many deaths and much destruction behind him.”

Kai, not wanting to lose his newfound friend, lifted his chin up, “If he’s not my spirit guide, then he will be my pet. I am to be crowned Zipa anyway, and I say that he stays.”

The Zipa glanced over at Kyungsoo, who was feeling extremely awkward and staring at everyone with a deer-in-the-headlights expression while shifting his weight from foot to foot. “Great Oracle, I understand your concern, but he is not the one I saw in my dream.” He swallowed, “Let me give him my blessing as Zipa and you shall purify him tonight. If the Goddess Chia accepts him, he shall stay.”

Kai gestured towards Kyungsoo to come to the bedside and the Zipa raised a trembling hand and placed it over Kyungsoo’s heart and gave his blessing. Kyungsoo, still unaware of what was being said, could feel the importance of this gesture and bowed his head respectively in thanks. He was then taken away by the Oracle and the priests to the temple before he could protest.

The temple was a grandiose place, much like the palace, gold trinkets and vases glittered in the firelight. Crystal ornaments hung from silken cloths that draped the room. Plus chai lounges and large sitting areas were decorated with intricately beaded pillows and cushions, they were clearly for decoration and not for use. The lingering scent of spicy incense wafted through the air and made Kyungsoo’s nose sting. There was a white marble statue of a woman with long flowing hair, holding up a moon in the center of the room.  The walls were covered in multicolored murals depicting the same beautiful goddess holding up the moon, surrounded by the people of a tribe who were dancing in celebration.

Kyungsoo was led to pavilion in the back with a pool of crystal clear blue water. The priests began stripping him of his clothing, which at first he resisted, but gave in a few seconds later, he figured that they would not do anything too terrible to him in their place of worship. They drew him to the center of the pool of water and began chanting a song. Shivers ran down Kyungsoo’s spine and his eyes widened as far as they could. The Oracle then joined them, carrying a large gold and jewel encrusted bowl filled with water from the sacred lake. For some reason he was wearing a set of robes and a golden headpiece.  He poured the water over Kyungsoo, leaving him sputtering and coughing at the unexpected shower of icy water, and placed both his hands over Kyungsoo’s heart and chanted even louder, his eyes rolling back into his head as he did so. The priests circled him in the water, waving their arms and flinging their heads in every direction. Their wails echoed loudly in the room and it seemed as if a woman had joined them in their strange song. Kyungsoo’s blood turned to ice in his veins and his heart beat faster than he had ever experienced.

Kyungsoo felt frantic, everything that was happening felt wrong to him, against his own belief system, so he closed his eyes and begged for protection against whatever these strange people were trying to do to him. The priests and Oracle slowly stopped chanting and the priests stopped dancing around him. They just stared at him, as if they were waiting for a sign, and when nothing happened, they all began clapping and laughing and hugged Kyungsoo. He smiled awkwardly and listened to them chattering excitedly, not understanding a word they were saying. They soon exited the pool and gave him a loin cloth of his own to wear.

Kyungsoo stared at it, trying to figure out how he would get used to wearing such a contraption, but put it on anyway. It was made from a thin, but sturdy material, and was dark greenish in color. Kyungsoo found the loin cloth oddly freeing, way less constrictive than the clothes he had arrived in. Although, he wasn’t quite fond of the amount of body exposure he now experiencing,  he figured it was better to do as they want him to do. Besides, this would make for an interesting story to tell at dinner one day to his future family.

 

~*~

 

Kai paced his father’s room, the empty fireplace gaping at him in the dim light, “What if she rejects him? Can I still keep him?”

“You know the rules, son. No outsiders, unless they can be purified.”

Kai thought of the last “ghost” he brought to the tribe, he was about the same age as him, from a different tribe, with red-brown hair, and a stoic expression. He had been rejected by the goddess, apparently, and was given the choice of either being sacrificed or leaving. Kai never found out what happened to him and no one would tell him what choice the ‘ghost’ had made.

“Why do you keep bringing these ‘ghosts’ to our village?” The Zipa asked.

Kai touched his lip and shrugged, “I don’t know, Father, they always end up lost in our forest and I can’t just let them starve out there.”

“Your heart is too welcoming, son. You can’t just bring everyone you find back here.” The Zipa said.

“I know, and I don’t.” He sat on the edge of his father’s bed, “I’ve seen others that I would rather have not seen, others that have no good in them, and I leave those to die.”

“How many of them are out there?” The Zipa was suddenly worried that his dreams could be coming true faster that he hoped.

“None that I know of, this one, Kyungsoo, was the first I have seen in fourteen moon cycles. He seems to be a bit older than me, but I cannot tell as he does not have the lunar marks we have.” Kai subconsciously rubbed the small scars on the inside of his forearm. He only had eighteen, and would receive his next one after one more moon cycle.

“I see.” The Zipa pushed himself into a sitting position and touched his chin.

“Father, are you sure you should be sitting up? I wouldn’t want you to strain yourself.”

“I’m fine, son.”

Kai stared at his father suspiciously as if he would collapse any second.

“I am fine, son, do not worry.” He smiled.

Before Kai could respond, someone knocked on the door, Kai glanced between his father and the door anxiously.

“You may enter.” The Zipa commanded.

The door swung open and Kyungsoo was brought in by the priests and the Oracle. “Young Master, he has been accepted by the Goddess Chia, she has shown her light extremely favorably on him, more so than I have ever seen, apart from you of course.” He bowed before he left the room with the priests.

Kyungsoo stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, arms wrapped around himself to keep from shivering. Kai turned to his father, “So he stays, right Father?”

The Zipa nodded, “He stays, son.”

Kai bowed his head in thanks and placed his own hand over his heart and thanked the goddess herself for accepting Kyungsoo. Then, he turned to Kyungsoo and stared at him curiously. His dewy pale skin gleamed in the moonlight that gave him the illusion of some ethereal being. The contrast of his onyx colored hair and complexion gave him an otherworldly appearance. Kai tilted his head and circled Kyungsoo and examined him more closely. Kyungsoo swallowed nervously and tried not to make eye contact as he felt even more awkward when he did so and he could not stop the flush from going through his body.

Kai stopped in front of him after circling him several times and placed his hand over Kyungsoo’s heart. Momentarily stunned at how smooth his skin is, his voice faltered and he cleared his throat and greeted him properly. “Welcome, Kyungsoo, to our empire. May the Goddess Chia look over you.”

Kyungsoo nodded his head and tried to repeat what Kai said with his hand over Kai’s heart, causing Kai to chuckle and then correct him in the proper greeting. The Zipa observed this with careful scrutiny before dismissing them from his room. “He will sleep in your room tonight, until he is introduced formally to the rest of the tribe and can be trusted to be alone.”

Once in Kai’s room, Kai set up a bed for Kyungsoo on the opposite side of the room, away from the window and any curious eyes lurking out there. He put all his belongings at the foot, folded neatly. Kyungsoo stared at the bed gratefully; he was exhausted and could sleep for days. Just before he climbed under the thin sheet, Kai called him to the floor so that he could teach Kyungsoo the basics of the language.  Kai found himself very impressed with Kyungsoo’s abilities and taught him much more than he had planned, using various objects and little drawings of his own, for hours on end. Kyungsoo was a fast learner and by the end of the night, he had memorized all of the greetings and a few conversational phrases along with some vocabulary.

As  He readied himself for bed once again, he could feel Kai’s eyes on him once again. He turned around and was met with the same curious gaze from the forest. Kai was sitting crossed legged with his hands clasped in his lap. Feeling subconscious, Kyungsoo pulled the sheet up over his head and turned his back towards Kai and stared blankly at the wall, trying to calm his racing pulse. He could not quite place the feeling he got when Kai stared at him like that and it was unnerving. There was a shuffling sound and when Kyungsoo peered out from under the sheet, he noticed that Kai had curled up on top of his sheet, with his back facing Kyungsoo.

“Kai?” Kyungsoo whispered into the cool night air.

Kai inhaled deeply and squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that Kyungsoo would think he had already fallen asleep. When there was no response from Kyungsoo, Kai rolled over and stared at his fascinating new ‘ghost’ before finally falling asleep.

 

 

~*~

 

_*Diary Entry Number 2*_

_I don’t remember much of my first day aside from being “purified” by the priests. I found their ritual quite scary at the time, but now that I understand what exactly was happening, it was not so bad. I also think that was the night I began learning the language. Oh, and Kai was a sound sleeper at that time. Not so much later on, but in the beginning it was nice. My next entry should be better as this was around the time I started keeping one in my sketch book._

 

~*~

 

 

                The next day, Kyungsoo awoke with a start, his blood pounding in his ears and his head foggy. He stared at the floor where tiny rays of sun dancing as the branches of a nearby tree swayed. He glanced over at Kai’s bed and found it empty and already made. Sitting up slowly, Kyungsoo rubbed the sleep away from his eyes and stretched, a tiny moan escaped him. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and scanned the room.

It was large in size, much larger than the room he shared back in the ship. There was a hand woven rug on the ground and a bench near another window, apart from that, the room was pretty bare. He thought back to the older man’s room, at how lavish it was, Kai’s room grew even barer in comparison.

Wrapping his arms around himself, he paced in the room, waiting for Kai’s return. His stomach growled loudly and he patted it in response, knowing there was nothing he could do for himself.

“Hello, Kyungsoo.” Kai’s voice caused Kyungsoo to jump, turning away briefly, he suppressed a smirk.

“Hello Kai.” Kyungsoo said clumsily, his tongue fumbling with the pronunciation.

Kai was carrying a tray of food, but the proportions were only enough for one person, he set the tray on Kyungsoo’s bed and commanded him to eat. There were several types of meat, most of which Kyungsoo had never seen before, various fruits and nuts of some kind. Kyungsoo felt his mouth water at the intoxicating aroma wafting from the tray, his stomach grumbled loudly once again. Kai laughed and sat down on his bed to watch Kyungsoo eat.

Kyungsoo stared at him, “Are you not going to eat?” This language was still too foreign for him to be dealing with in the morning so the phrase was jumbled.

Kai shook his head, “I’m fasting.” Kyungsoo stared blankly at him, clearly not grasping the message. Kai mimed praying and pointed to the food and shook his head.

Kyungsoo nodded and began eating a strange colored piece of meat. Rich flavor exploded on his taste buds, the meat was succulent and marinated in some kind of seasoning that Kyungsoo never knew even existed. He closed his eyes and hummed contentedly with each bite of the meat. Next he tried half of a juicy citrus fruit that was perfectly ripe and sweet. A little bit of juice from the fruit dribbled down his chin and he briefly smiled out of embarrassment when he glanced over at Kai, who was once again eyeing him oddly. Only this time, Kyungsoo was able to detect hunger in his eyes.

Kai’s stomach growled audibly, he was starving, having not eaten anything since midday yesterday. He looked away from Kyungsoo, who now had juice dripping down his chin. Watching this ‘ghost’ eat was like watching a starving man eat food for the first time in years. He stared at his lap, willing himself not to breathe too deeply lest he inhale the fragrance of the meat. Suddenly, half of what was on the plate was in Kai’s line of vision. Kai looked up at Kyungsoo and shook his head, but the ‘ghost’ did not move. Kai caved and took a slice of fruit off the plate, what his father did not know, would not hurt him. Kyungsoo grinned at him and left the plate on Kai’s bed and went about straightening his bed and wiping off the bench, trying to busy himself while Kai ate.

A few hours later, Kai finished with Kyungsoo’s language lesson for the day. “Good job!” Kai praised Kyungsoo by patting him on the shoulder, “You are a very fast learner.”

Kyungsoo blushed; the language was unlike any other language he had to learn, but being submerged in it certainly helped him learn it faster, especially since it was the only means of communication. He glanced outside at the setting sun and sighed. Tonight was the night he would be officially accepted into the tribe. The very thought made him nervous, he had no clue whether the tribe would accept him or not. He already endured the cold and confused stares from the Zipa’s servants and was not quite sure how he would handle an entire village not accepting him. He had struggled to find his place among the biologists on his ship and settled with the tiny role he was given.

Truthfully, his voyage to the New World was lonesome. For the first few months he ate alone, until one day, a zoologist invited him to sit with him for lunch. They hit it off instantly and Kyungsoo was happy for the moment. They talked daily and even made a few inside jokes and were seen everywhere together. However, halfway through their trip, his red haired friend contracted smallpox and died shortly thereafter. Kyungsoo was devastated that he had lost his one and only friend on the ship and his days returned to their dreary solitude, he had no one to talk to and kept his emotions hidden by day. He had hoped once they landed in the New World that he’d be able to impress the rest of the biologists and finally be accepted by them, but at the rate he was going, they probably had not even noticed that he was gone.

Kai cocked his head, “What are you thinking about?”

Kyungsoo shook his head to erase his thoughts, suddenly remembering why he was here in the first place, “Nothing.”

“Oh.”

“Yep.” Kyungsoo knew he was causing the awkwardness but he was not ready to tell Kai anything too personal, yet. He wanted to keep things on a professional, observer-observed level. He figured that once he had left this place that the boy would only remember him as a ‘ghost’ and he wanted to keep it that way. He did not want the complications that came with developing relationships among these people. He was here to study them and nothing else. Although he was nervous about tonight’s activities he told himself that if he was accepted by the masses then he would be happy because it would make his studies easier, and if he was not, well, he would still continue to observe the people anyway.

Kai cleared his throat, “We need to get you ready for the ceremony.” He held out his hand to help Kyungsoo up, but he ignored it. Kai’s eyes darkened, “Follow me.”

They walked in silence to the center of the village, the air between them thick with tension.  He peeked over at Kai, who was staring straight ahead, his expression set in stone. Kyungsoo was covered by a large robe with his hood pulled low over his face. He could see the strange looks he was getting, but they were merely filled with curiosity. It was the first time he really got to see the village up close. There were houses made from various materials such as stone, grass, and mud, each with its own unique style. There were stick-thin children running around chasing each other and playing in the dirt road they traveled on. They too looked upon Kyungsoo with curiosity as he passed, but did not move from their positions.

Once in the center of the village, Kyungsoo noted that the preparations were already underway. There was a large fire pit in the middle and wood was being continuously piled on top of it. Some members of the tribe were painting their faces with white and blue colored paints. Others were donning colorful masks that depicted strange distorted expressions. The oracle was wearing a large feathered headpiece with gold accents and the priests had painted their entire bodies with crude looking runes in red and black. Kyungsoo was not sure if it was a trick of the light, but the runes seemed to be shifting and changing positions as the priests prepared themselves.

 

~*~

 

The sun had set and the bonfire was casting shadows on the faces of every person encircling the area. Kai smiled to himself as everyone chattered among themselves about the newest member to the tribe. Many speculated that it was a princess from a nearby village and that soon the two villages would be united. Some thought it was it was simply another male from a village that had been conquered a few days back that the goddess had shown favor on. Kai chuckled, the village was in for a surprise, and they literally did not have an inkling of a clue that their newest member was neither of those.

The Zipa strode out to the middle of the circle, his face indistinct from the shadows, “Tonight is a very special night.” He paused, scanning the crowd, “We are initiating a new member for the first time in many moons!” The crowd cheered wildly. “He has had extreme favor shown on him by our Goddess! She has accepted him as her own and you shall do the same!”

Drums started beating and a group of dancers began circling the fire dancing passionately, Kai was not among them. He felt the power of his Goddess surge within him and he let his head fall back and raised his arms to the sky. He was glad that the crowd was already enthused about the new member, but he had a sinking feeling developing in the pit of his stomach.

Somewhere in the distance a horn sounded, and the procession of the priests and the Oracle began. Kyungsoo was walking behind them, his head still covered by the hood. The crowd grew even wilder, their cries increasing in volume and the dancing becoming more sporadic. The initiating chant began at a low rumble at first, then becoming a loud roar.

Kai bit his lip in anticipation, bouncing on the balls of his feet, and watched eagerly as Kyungsoo was brought to the center of the circle. Kai glanced at his father, who ushered him towards the center.

“You initiate him, son. It’ll be your first duty as Zipa.” He smiled.

Kai’s eyes widened, but he walked over to where Kyungsoo was and began his speech. “Tonight, I shall be doing the honor of initiating this man. He is a man like the rest of us, and deserves your respect and treatment as such. He may not look like us, but I assure you that he means no harm to our people!” The crowd shifted silently, a whisper traveling among them.

Kai removed Kyungsoo’s hood and robes and gasped collectively with the crowd. Kyungsoo’s body was covered in runes that seemed to writhe with each breath he took. He looked down into his eyes and saw the fear in them, “Everyone this is Kyungsoo! Our newest tribe member!”

There was dead silence, everyone was frozen. They stared at Kyungsoo with mixed emotions, not sure what to do. Suddenly there was a cry among the crowd, “Kyungsoo! Kyungsoo! Kyungsoo!” The crowd joined in one by one and began stepping forward one by one to lay their hands on him and ask the goddess to bless him.

Afterwards, the festivities began, there was much drinking and eating and dancing. Kai even taught Kyungsoo some dances that were popular among the tribe. Many women and children asked to touch his skin to see if he was actually real and the surprise on their faces when their fingers were met with resistance was a constant.

~*~

 

Now, in his own room, Kyungsoo sat down and began writing:

_Day One:_

_I don’t know what day it is, but today was a milestone. I have been accepted by the people warmly. The ceremony itself was quite odd. First I was taken by the priests and Oracle back to the temple where I was washed once again in that pool of water. They then drew on me with sticks of coal that had the tips wet. The runes seemed to move, but I am still not sure whether or not it was a mind trick as I am quite tired. When I arrived at the big fire pit I was sure they were going to throw me in but they did not. Kai was the one who initiated me and he had a rather strange look on his face when he saw me. I hope he was not able to discern my expression as I could not stop the weakness in my knees when I saw him. His hair had been styled up somehow and had small amounts of charcoal around his eyes giving him a slightly more mature appearance. He no longer looked like the curious boy I had sketched in the forest and was beginning to take on an air of a man. He looked like a king. He was wearing an intricate neck piece, one very much like the one his father wore. Why am I thinking like this? What is the meaning of my nervousness tonight?_

That night, after finishing recording his thoughts, Kyungsoo stared out the window at the moon above. “Why am I here?”

 He slept fitfully that night, dreaming that his ship had already left him behind.

 

~*~

 

Kai was summoned to his father’s room. “Yes Father?”

“You did well tonight, son.” His father was facing the window, his hands clasped behind his back.

“Thank you, Father, but that’s not why you called for me is it?” Kai joined his father by the window; a gentle breeze lifted his hair from his forehead.

“The colder months are coming.” The Zipa stated.

“I know.” Kai bit his lip; he knew what his father would say next.

“I won’t make it until then.” He turned and grabbed Kai’s shoulders, "It is imperative that you learn the path of the Zipa for you will be crowned one before three moon cycles have passed.”

“How do you know this?” Kai’s voice hitched, tears filling his vision.

“Now, do not cry,” The Zipa murmured wiping away Kai’s tears. “No one must see you cry, you are to be the Zipa and the Zipa must not weep unless he is in the presence of our Goddess Chia.”

Kai nodded and blinked back the tears that were trying to escape, “The Oracle told you this?” Kai was not too fond of the current Oracle. He seemed overzealous at times and that unnerved him. He decided that his first action of duty would be to replace him.

“No, the Goddess Chia told me herself.”

“Oh.” He had been hoping the Oracle had told him, then he could maybe give his father a little more than three moon cycles, but seeing as it was from the Goddess herself, the Zipa’s fate was sealed.

“Your training begins tomorrow.”

“What about Kyungsoo? Who will teach him the ways of our people?” Kai wondered. He had already made plans to teach Kyungsoo how to hunt and maybe even the village’s favorite pastime: _turmequ_ _é._

The Zipa pinched the bridge of his nose, “You’re going to need more training than I thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re worried about some ‘ghost’ when you should be preoccupied with your new duties.”

“He’s not a ‘ghost’! He’s one of us, now.”

“Your training starts tomorrow, you may see Kyungsoo only after you are done with your training and only then.”

Kai nodded and left his father’s room, feeling heavier than he ever had before.

 

 

The next day, Kai was shaken awake by one of his father’s many servants. “Young Zipa, your training begins now.”

Kai wiped his bleary eyes and yawned. “Why are you waking me so early?”

“Because you must be in prayer before the moon sets, so that you may wish our Goddess a good rest.” The servant nodded earnestly, his black bowl cut hair flopping comically.

Kai groaned, but followed the servant to the outside pavilion. He was so tired that he almost fell into one of the multicolored pools on the way there.

The servant gestured towards the stone ledge. Kai knelt down and peered over it, he could see the entire village from this vantage point. Everyone was still soundly asleep and nothing but only the constant trill of insects could be heard. Kai began praying.

 

~*~

 

Kyungsoo rolled over once again, trying futilely to sleep in his empty room. He stared blankly at the walls and sighed.

_Maybe I’ll explore the forest a bit today or go see if my ship is still there._

At the thought of his ship, his stomach knotted. He had the sinking feeling that they were already gone. He sat up abruptly and ripped a piece of paper from his sketchbook and began furiously writing in the moonlight, a message back to anyone who found it, asking for help. He wrote about the rituals that the people practiced and expressed his concerns for their wellbeing. He rolled up the paper and placed it in one of his many collecting jars.

A few hours later after the sun rose, Kyungsoo dragged himself from bed. He stretched and cringed at the brightness of the sun. A bird sang nearby and the sound of its voice aggravated Kyungsoo’s sensitive ears. His head was pounding and his tongue felt thick and dry and tasted like copper.

There was a loud bang on the door and Kyungsoo covered his ears in pain. “So this is what it feels like to be hung-over.” He muttered to himself. A wide eyed woman stumbled into his room with a tray of food. Kyungsoo reached out to thank her, but she shied away. “I’m not going to hurt you.” She scrambled out the door just as quickly as she came in. He ate in silence, the food was a delicious as his first meal was, but this time he was alone. He stared at the floor while he munched on a piece of dried tapir meat.

When he was finished eating, he neatly placed whatever he did not eat on the tray and left it outside his door. He went to look for Kai, to let him know he was going to look for his ship and not to be worried if he did not come back, but found he was not in his room. Sighing Kyungsoo grabbed the bottle containing his letter and headed to the forest.

Once again the shade was pleasant on Kyungsoo’s skin which was already burning from the walk to the fort’s edge He gazed up and saw an orange furred monkey sitting on a branch knowing on a beetle. Kyungsoo cursed himself for not bringing his sketchbook, and stared at the monkey, committing it to memory so that he could draw it later. He was sure he had discovered at least seventeen new species of insects, ten new species of birds, and four new species of primates. His discoveries would be talked about for centuries; he would be talked about for centuries. The thought made him smile; he would finally be recognized for all his hard work.

He arrived at the edge of the forest, his feet sore and raw, and his legs sore. He looked out to the ocean and did not see the ships sails. He held his breath, ‘ _Maybe the slope is too low, I should go further and check._ ’ Fear filling Kyungsoo's heart, he ran towards the shore, making the trip there in half the time it took him to originally get to the forest.

The shore was empty, not even footsteps could be found. The only trace that there had ever been a ship was some rope left in the grass. Kyungsoo ran out into the ocean and bellowed in distress, throwing the bottle as hard as he could into the distance. His chest heaved, and his eyes burned.

 _‘I’m stuck here?’_ he thought and sat down in the tide. It was only midday, and the tide was high, but the water felt refreshing. After a while Kyungsoo stood up and accepted his fate and headed back to the village.

 

~*~

_Day Two:_

_Today I discovered that my ship left me. They probably did not even notice my absence. I discovered a new primate today! I drew it on the previous page. I feel abandoned. Lost. Alone. These people only show their acceptance of me in front of Kai. When he is not around, they gape at me and shy away from my touch. What started out as a project has now become my existence. Maybe someone will find my letter. I doubt it though. I will continue my studies and shall record any new species I find or any interesting aspect of their culture. Today I learned that Kai began his training. I only found this out when he came by a few hours ago to give me my daily lessons on the language; I guess I won’t be seeing much of him anymore. I think that may be a good thing for me, because he causes such strange emotions to surface. I wish I could go home._

~*~

 

A week later, this changed, and Kyungsoo found himself liking the village more and more. He noticed that the village treated him as one of their own, more or less. He could now walk into the center and no one gave so much as a second glance. The village elders still gave him death stares, but those were few and far between that he could easily ignore them. Children even started coming up to him and asked him to play with them. One little boy asked him to join their game of tag. Kyungsoo looked around and once he concluded that no one was watching him, he joined the game for a little while. Every time he caught one of the kids, he picked them up and spun them around, while they laughed and screamed with joy.

One of the mothers stood at the doorway to her hut and smiled, once Kyungsoo noticed her, he put the child down and told him he had some business to attend to but would play with them later. The woman called out, “Wait!”

Kyungsoo stopped, “Yes?”

Shock filled the woman’s face, “You speak our language well gho- I mean, sir.”

“Oh, thank you ma’am.” Kyungsoo rubbed the back of his neck, it was not burning as much as it had been before, ever since Kai gave him some soothing aloe leaves a few days ago.

 “The children seem to like you.” The woman stated, uncrossing her arms.

“I’ve noticed. It must be that childhood innocence they still have.” He glanced over at the children, who were now chasing a small monkey that was tied to  post. They threw little bits of fruit towards it and squealed when the monkey showed its teeth and ate it.

“If you’d like, you could help us watch them from time to time.”

Kyungsoo froze, “Um..”

“You don’t have to, I was just saying since they like you so much.”

“Oh, um okay.” He awkwardly walked away, glancing back to find the woman still staring at him, his face felt warm.

He wandered aimlessly, watching people interact with each other. One couple was conversing animatedly about the husband going hunting this late in the day. The wife was staunch about them eating fresh meat tonight, but the husband was not feeling up to hunting. In the end, he ended up going to their neighbors and borrowing some meat from them, much to the wife’s chagrin.

He noticed two young girls gossiping under a tree, about the boys that were kicking around a small round ball in a frenzied game. A few of them glanced back at the girls and tried to show off and ended up kicking the ball towards Kyungsoo, who kicked it back to them with a small smile on his face. One of the boys, the tallest one, placed his hand over his heart and bowed in thanks to him while the others just stared at him.

He passed by the village center and bent over the water bin to quench his thirst. The water tasted a little strange, like the fat that was used to seal the stretched leather that held the water, but water was water. He stood by the water bin a little while longer and watched as some farm animals rolled in the dirt to cool themselves off. He chuckled to himself at their antics and continued walking through the village.

He’d gotten quite used to being on his own, since Kai was busy learning the ways of the Zipa, but he found himself missing his strange stares and actions. They only saw each other for a few hours at night and that was to teach Kyungsoo the language, but with him learning so fast, the meetings were becoming shorter and shorter. Plus, Kai was always exhausted when he visited him, so Kyungsoo tried not to make too much small talk so that the lessons would conclude earlier for Kai’s sake. He’d also noticed that Kai had changed as well, he appeared more and more like the Zipa each day they met. The change was happening so fast, that it worried Kyungsoo. He wondered if Kai ever had a childhood, one that was as carefree as the children he played with earlier.

Some hunters returned with a large kill once again, and Kyungsoo felt a pang of guilt. He did not know how to hunt, and he wanted to contribute something to the village if he was to be living here for the rest of his days. Sighing, he returned to the palace.

 

~*~

 

“Father, may I please have a break?” Kai whined.

“You won’t have any breaks when you become Zipa, son. Why should you have a break now?” His father continued slicing the skin on Kai’s arm. Tomorrow, he would be another year older.

"It’s the anniversary of my birth tomorrow, I want to have fun.” His arm stung a little, he was used to the pain.

“Fine. But after that, your training increases twice-fold. That Kyungsoo boy, does not need you help learning the language anymore. He has enough of a grasp on it and our culture, he can fend for himself now, stop worrying about him.”

“I haven’t mentioned his name for several sunrises and sets now. What makes you think I worry about him, father?” Kai feigned disinterest. Truthfully, he was confused at Kyungsoo’s manner towards him. He hardly made small talk at their lessons and even then, he hardly looked at him.

“I see it in your face, son.” The Zipa wiped the blood off the instrument and took a piece of burning wood and pressed it against the wound to solder it.

Kai winced slightly, “My face?”

“You may think you have hidden your emotions well, son. However, I know you better than you know yourself, you worry for him. It needs to stop because it is hindering your training.” He turned Kai’s arm over and admired his handiwork.

Kai’s face steeled over and he pulled his arm away from his father’s grip. “He’s not hindering my training. What’s hindering my train has nothing to do with anyone but myself. Maybe I’m just not cut out to be the Zipa.”

The Zipa’s eyes flashed and he grabbed Kai’s face and yanked him closer. “Do not ever say that! I worked hard to become the Zipa so that you may inherit my empire. Don’t you dare undermine my efforts.” He pointed to the door, “Get out.”

Kai left his father’s room with low spirits and a sore neck. He went to Kyungsoo's room and stood in the doorway rubbing his neck. Kyungsoo looked up at him from his perch on the window sill. He was writing in his sketchbook.

“What are you doing?” Kai tried to peer over Kyungsoo’s shoulder but he pulled the sketchbook to his chest.

“Nothing. Why are you here?” Kyungsoo regarded him skeptically.

“Your lessons remember?” Kai bit back the hurt he felt with Kyungsoo’s tone.

“I don’t need them. Can’t you tell?” He went back to writing.

Kai stared at him, he noticed  Kyungsoo’s skin reddening at his cheeks. “Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

Kai touched his cheeks, “This, turn red?”

He swiped Kai’s hand away from his cheeks, “I don’t know, it just happens when I’m embarrassed or nervous.”

Kai tilted his head, “Did I embarrass you?”

“No.” Kyungsoo buried his face in his sketchbook and continued writing.

“So I make you nervous then?” Kai smirked.

“No, I don’t know what you do to me. Just leave, please.” He bit his lip and stared hard at his sketchbook, refusing to meet Kai’s gaze.

“Fine. Be ready for tomorrow.” He started towards the door.

“What’s happening tomorrow?” Kyungsoo jerked up, eyes wide with curiosity.

“You’ll find out.” He left with nothing but a flash of a smile.

Kyungsoo leaned back against the sill, he was starting to get a headache.

 

 

~*~

_Day Nine:_

_I think I’m finally a part of this society. I played tag with some kids and one of their mothers offered me a job of caretaking them. I turned it down because it was such a shock, but maybe I’ll take up her offer if I never learn to hunt. I feel bad, like I’m just taking from these people, I want to contribute as well- Ugh. Kai just came in, he tried to see what I was doing but I hid it from him by instinct. I forgot that he can’t read what I write anyway. He noticed my blushing and pointed it out. I tried to explain why I do that, but I ended up making it worse for myself. Now he thinks he makes me nervous. It’s true. I do not know why, but just being in the same room as him makes my palms sweat. Enough about him, he confuses me. My reaction to him confuses me. Tomorrow, something is supposed to take place. I’m not sure what, but I hope it’s interesting. I have this sinking feeling that the Zipa is not too fond of me, he acts cordial to me, but I see something in his eyes that says otherwise. I fear that if it were not for Kai and their Goddess’s blessing, then I would have been- No, I can’t think like that. My mind is all jumbled, my cheeks still burn from his fingers._

~*~

 

Kyungsoo opened his eyes and swallowed a scream. Kai was leaning over him, his nose almost brushing his own.

“Good, you’re awake! Let’s go. We have a lot to accomplish today.” Kai smiled, standing up straight.

“Do not do that ever again.” Kyungsoo whispered harshly.

Kai chuckled, and grabbed Kyungsoo’s bag and removed the bottles from it, he grabbed the sketchbook off the window ledge and put it inside. “You’re going to need these.”

Kyungsoo scratched his head, his hair pushed up on the side from his sleep. “What are we doing?”

“Hunting.” Kai started putting some dried meat wrapped in a cloth into the bag. “Then I have a surprise for you.”

Kyungsoo’s face broke out into a wide grin. “Really?” He reached for his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

Kai’s face brightened, “You look really nice when you smile. Not so closed off to everyone around you.”

Kyungsoo bit his lip, “Thank you.”

“I found some colored paints in my father’s room, I think you’ll find more use for them than he ever will.” Kai put these into Kyungsoo’s bag as well. “I just need to grab an extra bow and spear for you and then we can leave, so wait for me by the forest.”

Kyungsoo looked outside, the sun had not risen yet. It was going to be a long day, but he was looking forward to it. For the first time since he arrived here, he felt light and bubbly. He set off towards the forest after watching Kai jog down the hallway. He hummed to himself, a distant song from where he was born, long before he boarded the ship, and long before he began his studies. It was a childhood song, upbeat, repetitive, and melodic. He waited by the forest entrance and bounced on the balls of his feet, excitement filling his veins.

Kai arrived a short time later, carrying two spears, two bows, and two arrow cases. He handed one of each to Kyungsoo and secured his own bag close to his body. “I have two water sacs in here, when you need refreshments just let me know.”

Kyungsoo fumbled with the spear and bow, trying to put it across his chest like Kai’s was, but failed. Kai laughed and helped Kyungsoo get settled. “Thank you.” His throat was dry and his heart was pounding, he swore that Kai’s fingers lingered a little too long when he was helping him, but pushed the thought out of his mind.

Kai led the way into the forest. He knew this forest better than anyone in the village. It was his second home. He smiled up at the canopies and pointed out an orange colored monkey chewing vigorously to Kyungsoo, who exclaimed that he drew that monkey not too long ago. They both laughed when Kyungsoo showed him the sketch, it looked nothing like the orange monkey munching on a leaf.

“I thought you were  good. What is this?” Kai laughed.

Kyungsoo blushed, “I didn’t have my sketchbook with me at the time and I tried to draw it once I got back.” He rubbed the back of his neck, “I guess my memory was not that great that day.”

“You’re embarrassed.” Kai observed.

Kyungsoo’s blush grew deeper. “You make it worse when you point it out.”

“I like it.” Kai grinned as he held back a branch for Kyungsoo. "It’s different. I like different.”

Kyungsoo stared at the ground, “Thank you.” Then he met Kai’s gaze and smiled uncertainly.

 

 

A few hours later, they were still talking about each other’s childhood and Kyungsoo never felt more peaceful in his life. He liked talking to Kai, it was different than talking to everyone else, it felt more personal. Kai brought his finger to his lips, signaling Kyungsoo to be silent. He crept behind Kai, carefully taking each step as Kai did. Kai slowly removed his bow and strung it, he aimed it at a small capybara and with one fluid movement, the arrow struck, killing it instantly. Kai wrapped some rope around it’s legs and slung it over his back. “Lunch.”

“Lunch? What about breakfast?”

"It’s midday, haven’t you noticed?” Kai looked back at Kyungsoo over his shoulder.

“Oh,” Kyungsoo had not noticed, he was enjoying the coolness of the forest too much to even realize that he was hungry. “How will that be enough for both of us?”

“Oh this?” Kai pointed at the dead capybara. “This is mine, you have to catch your own.”

Kyungsoo stopped. “What?”

“I’m teaching you how to hunt right?” Kai asked.

“Yes, but, you haven’t actually taught me anything-“

“Shh!” Kai held his beckoned Kyungsoo in front of him. He removed Kyungsoo’s bow and handed it to him. “Shoot it.”

“Shoot what?” Kyungsoo squinted into the underbrush, not seeing anything. Kai turned his head for him and pointed at another small capybara. “Oh.” He tried to string the arrow, but the arrow kept slipping. Kai stood behind him, chest pressed against his back and guided Kyungsoo’s hands and arms. His hands were rough against Kyungsoo’s, and Kyungsoo felt himself shiver, but he let Kai aim and release the arrow. It struck, once again killing the capybara instantly, Kyungsoo shook his head, trying to regain his senses. His pulse had increased significantly at Kai’s touch, he stumbled towards the body and pulled the arrow from it and put it back in the case.

Kai stood, a dangerous smirk on his face, “Now do you know how to shoot an arrow?”

Kyungsoo kept his back towards him and bit his lip, “Yes. Thank you.” Once he collected himself, he stood slowly and slung the animal over his shoulder, the added weight felt strange, but he figured he’d get used to it. “What’s this surprise you were telling me about?”

“We’ll get there, for now, tell me more about your childhood.” Kai said, lifting a large leaf over his and Kyungsoo’s head.

It was hours later when they reached a clearing, Kyungsoo had to shout to be heard over the sound of rushing water. “So, when I was twelve, I decided that if I could not make it as a performer, then I’d be a biologist, and well, that’s how I ended up here.”

“Performer?” Kai stepped over a large hole in the ground and grabbed Kyungsoo’s hand to help him jump over it.

“Thanks,” He wiped his brow, he was beginning to sweat, “I wanted to be a singer, so I auditioned for a company, but they said my voice was not strong enough, so I gave up and focused on my studies.”

“Really?” He paused, he knew just after this row of trees was the surprise, “Sing something for me.”

“What? No.” Kyungsoo stopped, a mosquito buzzed in his ear, he swatted it away.

“Please? Today is a special day.” Kai placed both his hands on Kyungsoo’s shoulders, "It’s the anniversary of my birth.”

Kyungsoo was taken aback, "It’s your birthday, and you wanted to surprise me?”

“I wanted to share something with you, it’s what we do. It’s usually a day of celebration with the family and we all share something with each other.” Kai beamed.

“With your family?” Kyungsoo asked. “Then, why are you here with me? You should be at the palace, with your family celebrating. You’re wasting your time with me.”

“No I’m not. I’m having fun, you’re fun.” Kai looked at the trees, “Besides, I’m tired of being in that place. I’m in there everyday training and I needed a change of scenery. A change of people, something different, like you.”

Surprised Kyungsoo was speechless for a  moment. “Oh, well I guess I could sing for you then.” Kyungsoo bit his finger lightly.

Kai jumped up and down excitedly. Kyungsoo began singing, his voice rich and soulful. It was a song that he barely remembered until now. The lyrics fit the moment perfectly, the dynamics and key changes were perfect for his range. He closed his eyes and let the song flow through him, singing with all his heart. Kai swayed and his eyes fluttered shut. “You have a nice voice.”

“Really?” His eyes lit up, “I haven’t practiced in so long, most of my shipmates complained when I sang.”

Kai nodded, “That’s a pity. They really don’t know what they’re missing.” He reached for Kyungsoo’s hand, “ Close your eyes and don’t let go of my hand okay?”

“Where are you taking me?” Kyungsoo stared at Kai, his feet rooted to the ground.

“Just trust me.” He covered Kyungsoo’s eyes with his hand and walked behind him, pushing him forward. When they broke the clearing, he removed his hand.

“Wow! I don’t even know what I’m looking at, what is this place?” Kyungsoo gaped, his eyes taking in every sight, every color. The water smelled fresh here and the sounds of the forest were drowned out by the water gurgling.

“We call it: The River That Ran Away from Paradise.” He gestured towards the river.

It was beautiful, there were oddly circular craters that went down for miles that were filled with vibrantly colored corals and algae. There were shades of reds and greens and hues of purples and blues. Tiny fish flitted in between the brightly colored flora that was under the water. There was a small ledge from which water flowed over into the river. The water was crystal clear and looked tremendously inviting. A ring of dark pink starfish circled one of the craters among the purple colored plants that grew under the water’s surface. It was unearthly and awe inducing, just looking at it caused one to get lost.

“Can I go in it?” Kyungsoo whispered in wonder.

“Can you swim?” Kai asked.

“No, but it can’t be that deep right?” Kyungsoo looked up at Kai, hope filling his eyes.

“Some of those craters are never ending, there are a few that are no more than waist deep, but most would go clear over your head.” Kai began removing his bow and arrow and setting them on the ground, “You can hang onto me if you’d like, I’ll take you to the safe ones.”

Kyungsoo nodded and did the same as Kai. Kai waded into the water and Kyungsoo followed, covering himself up, he was not totally comfortable being naked around Kai yet. He grabbed onto Kai’s shoulders and hung on for dear life while Kai swam towards one of the shallow pools. The water felt amazing, it was cool, but not too cool, just enough to sooth Kyungsoo’s skin, which had started burning as he forgot to rub aloe on it this morning due to the circumstances in which he left. He sat on a small protruding flat rock and laid his head back, closing his eyes. “This is amazing.”

Kai smiled and swam over to the ledge where the water was flowing from and climbed the rocks to the top. He stood at the edge and called out Kyungsoo’s name. “Look!” He jumped and flipped into the water, his body arcing perfectly as he breached the surface. He popped up a few seconds later and swam back towards Kyungsoo. “Pretty cool, right?”

“If by cool you mean dangerous and life threatening, then yes.” Kyungsoo laughed trying to cover the pang of fear he felt in his stomach when Kai did not surface immediately.

Kai spat water at Kyungsoo’s face and hopped into the small pool. Their knees were touching, and Kyungsoo felt goose pimples erupt all over his body. Wiping away the water he said, “What possessed you to do that?”

Kai smiled and leaned back and smiled at the clear sky. “You need to loosen up. Today is a day of celebration!”

Kyungsoo pondered what Kai said for a moment and then splashed Kai with all his might. “How’s that for loosening up?”

Kai laughed and splashed him back, “That’s more like it!” He spat more water into the air, forming a tiny rainbow.

Kyungsoo wiped his face again and laughed and copied Kai. They did this a couple of times before moving on to making puffer fish faces and pretending to be fish. Kai told Kyungsoo the story of how he used to be afraid of fish when he was little and they laughed. Kai showed off a bit more by diving to the bottom of one of the deeper pools and came back with a violet colored shell that he gave to Kyungsoo.

“Can you take me to shore? I’m getting kind of hungry.” Kyungsoo asked Kai, who obliged.

Once back on shore, Kyungsoo stepped into his loin cloth and sat down to make a small fire to prepare the food. Kai swam back out into the river and stood on his hands under water. Kyungsoo chuckled and began skinning and gutting the capybaras. He was quite adept at preparing food since he spent most of his time in the kitchen while on the ship. Besides his zoologist friend, the cook was also nice to him, even more so after the untimely death of his friend. Kyungsoo found himself learning how to prepare various meals while on the ship and took great joy cooking. He promised himself that if being a biologist did not work out that’s he’d be a chef instead. While he waited for the food to cook over the makeshift fire spit, he decided to draw the river, using the paints that Kai gave him to add more depth to his picture. After finishing the river, he moved on to drawing Kai, who was having fun by himself by diving down and catching starfish and showing them to Kyungsoo each time, a proud smile plastered on his face. It was so innocent and childish that Kyungsoo thought back to the children playing tag.

Kyungsoo found himself sketching various expressions of Kai, one of him smiling, one of him staring curiously at a shell that had little crab legs sprawling out of it, one of him looking towards the sun arms spread open wide with his eyes closed, and perhaps Kyungsoo favorite, one of him when he thought Kyungsoo was not looking. The small amount of curiosity and shyness that was expressed in his eyes took Kyungsoo’s breath away. He found himself reaching out to touch the sketches when Kai was not paying attention.

He rotated the spit once more and decided that it was done. “Food is ready!” Kyungsoo called, placing his sketchbook back into his bag.

Kai sniffed the air, “Wow, that smells amazing!” He sat down next to Kyungsoo, getting his legs wet, “Looks good too.”

“Thank you, I enjoy cooking actually.” Kyungsoo grinned.

“Really?” Kai spoke with his mouth full of capybara meat.

“Yes.” Kyungsoo wrinkled his nose, “Can you not do that?”

“Do what?”

“Talk with your mouth full. It’s gross.”

Kai looked away embarrassed, “Sorry.”

"It’s okay.” Kyungsoo smiled crookedly.

They ate in silence, but it was a pleasant one, no tension or awkwardness in the air, just contentedness. Kyungsoo found himself stealing glances at Kai as he ate, several times he made eye contact with Kai so he suspected Kai was doing the same. After they finished eating,  Kai went to search for some fruit that they could wash down the capybara with and came back with two ripe mangos.

“I never had time to ask but, how do you like your room?” Kai sat down and handed Kyungsoo half of the mango he just sliced in half.

Kyungsoo bit into the mango and relished the sweet juice that filled his mouth. “Um, it’s alright. Why?”

Kai peeked at him from the corner of his eye, “I requested that room for you since it is the third largest in our wing.”

“I mean, it’s nice, but it’s empty and I don’t sleep well at night.” Kyungsoo bit into the mango again and smiled to himself as he savored it.

“Really? You’re not sleeping?”

“No. I don’t know why though.” He glanced at Kai, “My body is physically tired, but I’m not comfortable I guess.”

“What do you need? I’ll make sure you have it, just ask okay?” Kai said sincerely.

“I might just be homesick. Sometimes I lay awake thinking and I wonder if anyone noticed my absence. I wonder if they even care or miss me. I mean, I’m not anything special, just your average biologist, well I’m not even that anymore. I don’t know why I’m telling you this, it doesn’t matter anyway.” Kyungsoo stared out over the river that was reflecting the late evening sun.

“I’d miss you.” Kai whispered.

Kyungsoo stared at him, dumbfounded. The voice that came out of Kai was so small and soft, he wasn’t quite sure he heard him right.

“What I mean is, now that we’re friends, I’d miss you if you went away. Sometimes I find myself glad that you were left here. It was as if the Goddess knew I needed someone and sent you. So don’t say you’re nothing. To me you’re something, something that’s really important.” Kai made circles in the dirt and refused to look anywhere other than the ground.

“Friends?” For some reason the word made Kyungsoo both happy and sad at the same time. He was happy because he had another friend, one that seemed promising, but he was sad because, well, he was not quite sure why he was sad.

Kai smiled shyly, “Yeah, I consider you my friend.”

Kyungsoo gleamed and he lightly punched Kai on the shoulder. Kai punched him back only it was slightly more forceful. Rubbing his arm he looked to the sky, “The sun is going to set soon, we should head back.”

Kai grinned even wider, “No, part of my surprise still waits. We’ll leave in the morning.”

“I am not spending the night out here in the middle of nowhere, we don’t even have a blanket and nights are starting to get cold!” Kyungsoo stared at Kai in disbelief.

“You’ll be fine. I’ll keep you warm, so don’t worry about that.” Kai dismissed Kyungsoo’s statement.

“You brought a blanket?” Kyungsoo looked around at their makeshift camp. He already knew the answer, but it did not stop him from trying.

“No.” Kai smiled, “We’ll share body heat, just like I used to do when I was a child.”

Kyungsoo stared at Kai. There was no way he was serious. “You’re kidding.”

“I’m serious. Trust me, you’ll get too cold by yourself.”

“I’ll sleep  alone, far away from you, thank you very much.” Kyungsoo picked up his things, not noticing that his sketchbook fell out of his bag and moved them several feet away from Kai on the other side of the fire. When he turned around he saw Kai looking at his sketchbook. “What are you doing? That’s private!”

“If it’s so private, why am I all over it?” He stared down at the drawings Kyungsoo made. “These are really good, I feel as though I’m looking at my reflection in a lake or something.”

“Really? You think so?” Kyungsoo peered over Kai’s shoulder as he flipped through the pages.

“This one is my favorite.” He pointed to the one that happened to be Kyungsoo’s favorite as well. The one where he was shyly looking at Kyungsoo.

“Mine too. I think I drew that one the best.”

“You did not answer my question. Why are there so many of me in this?”

“You are the easiest to draw from memory.”

“I thought you memory was bad.”

“I remember faces well.” He did not want to tell him that ever since he first drew him back in the forest that he had imprinted Kai’s face to the backs of his eyelids. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw that curious expression, those eyes that held so many secrets, that rare smile.

“Oh.”

“Yep.”

“So what are these pages with all the squiggles on them?”

Kyungsoo grabbed his sketchbook back, “My personal thoughts.”

“Okay.”

They gazed into the dancing flames of the fire. Both lost in their own worlds, nothing but the soft grumble of the river and the crackling of the fire could be heard. Kyungsoo looked up at the sky, the stars glittered and his jaw dropped. “Wow!”

“This was the other thing I wanted to share you.” Kai smiled and leaned against Kyungsoo.

“I don’t know what was more beautiful, the river or the sky at night.”

“I prefer the night sky, especially, right after the last day of the moon cycle. The stars shine so brightly. I think most of the village is so consumed by the moon that they forget to smaller, beauties that light up the sky.”

Kyungsoo gaped at Kai.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love the moon, I have to. But, I feel as though we’ve forgotten the little things you know?”

Kyungsoo nodded and then yawned. He moved to his side of the fire and laid down. However a few minutes later he was freezing. He bit his lip to keep his teeth from chattering, suddenly he felt warmth against his back. He peeked over his shoulder and notice Kai was back to back with him.

“Thanks.”

“Told you so.”

“Never mind, I take my thank you back.”

Kai chuckled and soon his breath deepened. Kyungsoo sat up and looked at Kai. He looked so peaceful, so youthful, so uninhibited. Kyungsoo suddenly realized that Kai did not want to be the Zipa, he wanted to be a kid still. He was forcing himself to grow up to fit his father’s ideals, he wasn’t doing this for himself, but his father. Sudden contempt filled Kyungsoo, but he bit it back, it was not his father’s fault for wanting the best for his son, neither was it Kai’s fault for being the first born. Kyungsoo laid back down and stared into the fire. Kai rolled over and put his arm around Kyungsoo, a soft snore escaped his lips. Kyungsoo closed his eyes and fell asleep. He slept deeply for the first time in a while.

 

~*~

_Day Thirteen:_

_Kai and I finally returned from his birthday celebration. It was fun, we went swimming. Well, I didn’t swim, but I watched him swim and jump off the waterfall’s ledge. It was nice talking to him. He listens very well and responds thoughtfully. I caught my first animal that day! Kai helped me of course, actually it made me uncomfortable, he was too close behind me, but I still shot it! I never realized how difficult hunting could be, I definitely prefer cooking. Maybe that’s how I’ll contribute to the village. I’ll become the feast master and make all the meals for big celebrations. That’d be something. Kai called me his friend that day as well. It made me happy that I finally have a friend, especially one I can see keeping for a long time. We also slept together that night, well not like that, but next to each other because it was cold. I actually slept pretty good last night and the night before. I think it had to do with the cold, it makes it easier to breathe here._

~*~

 

Kyungsoo  climbed into his bed and got under the blanket and closed his eyes. He rolled over several times and fluffed the animal skin pillow. He was feeling restless, he honestly wanted to sleep, but something was missing. He stared at the wall and prepared for another sleepless night.

There was a knock on his door and Kai entered his room carrying another blanket. “You’re still awake?”

“I can’t seem to fall asleep.” He leaned on one arm and glanced at the blanket. “Is that for me?”

“Yes. The blanket you have is much too thin for the cold nights ahead of us.” Kai’s face darkened and he turned to leave after he tossed the blanket to Kyungsoo.

“Wait. What’s bothering you?” Kyungsoo sat up, the blanket pooling around his waist.

“Nothing important.” He waved a hand to dismiss Kyungsoo’s worry.

“If you are upset about it, then it must be important.” He patted his bed, “Come sit and tell me. I’m going to be up all night anyways.”

Kai dragged his feet and plopped down next to Kyungsoo. "It’s my father. He’s dying, he probably won’t make it through the cold season.” Kai turned and tried to hide the tears that were welling up in his eyes.

Kyungsoo regarded Kai with shock. He had never seen him cry, and it broke his heart to do so. “I don’t know what to say. I hardly remember my own parents since I was taken from them when I was young, so I can’t really relate, but I can try.” He patted Kai’s shoulders awkwardly.

Kai turned around and hugged him. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being you.” He wiped his tears and smiled crookedly at Kyungsoo. “Can I sleep in here tonight? I don’t want to be alone with my thoughts.”

Kyungsoo bit his lip and nodded. He tried to make room for Kai, but there was not much to be made. Kai turned and faced him, their noses inches apart, and closed his eyes. Kyungsoo slept soundly that night and every night after that. Whether it was his room or Kai’s, he was not alone anymore.

 

~*~

_Day I don’t even know:_

_I stopped counting the days a while ago. I’ve decided to live in the moment , not the future or the past, and I’m much happier this way. So much has happened since I last wrote in here, I hardly have the time or privacy to do so anymore. More on that later, first I want to catch up. A while ago I received a message from one of the village mother’s inviting me over for dinner. I didn’t think anything of it so I went, I mean it was a harmless dinner right? Wrong! So I arrived there and the first thing the mother did was introduce me to her daughter, who had come of age, and showed me her dowry. This was an aspect of the culture I was completely unfamiliar with so I said ‘Thank you, but I can’t take all this.’ And the mother was horrified. She began crying and asking me why the dowry was not enough for me to take her daughter as a wife and I just stood there in shock. I had no idea she was trying to marry off her daughter to me and apologized for not understanding her intentions. She seemed fine after that but later asked why I was not interested in her daughter. I simply told her that she was not the type of girl I liked and left it at that. She seemed fine with that explanation and we ate with relative ease. After that I started paying attention to the invitations I received. Many more mothers tried to force their daughters on me, but I just was not interested. There was something missing from them, a certain aspect I cannot place, so I turned them down. Kai however, found this hilarious and tried to convince me to go to the dinners if only for the free food but I dismissed the idea. Speaking of Kai, I guess I should clarify what I meant by not having privacy to write for a while. I’ve been very busy with preparing food lately and have even taught some new techniques to the other cooks. I feel great that I have been contributing to the village, I don’t feel as though I’m just taking and not giving anything in return. Now, back to Kai, I finally figured out why I was not sleeping at night. I did not feel safe for some reason, I kept having this sinking feeling that something bad was going to happen and that was keeping me up at night. But now, I sleep with Kai and he makes me feel safe. He helps me ignore the sinking feeling and makes me not feel so homesick. I like it here, but sometimes I miss things from home, and yet I don’t want to go back. I finally feel as though I have a place where I fit in and where I’m wanted. I like that feeling. It’s new to me but I definitely like it. Kai makes me feel it the most, I think that is why I like being around him.  Although recently he has been fading away, he’s losing himself. He’s been really upset lately about his father’s approaching death. He has described his condition to me a few times and he tried to make it seem like it wasn’t too bad, but I can see the torment in his eyes. He really hasn’t been sleeping lately and he tries to hide it, but I know when he’s awake, his breathing is different when he is awake, and he’s much more tense. I worry for him._

~*~

 

A month later, things had returned to how they were before Kai’s birthday. Kyungsoo hardly saw him during the day, but they would stay up for hours on end talking. It was mainly Kyungsoo doing the talking now as the Zipa had been bedridden for the past week, but Kai managed to smile every once in a while.

He began making decisions and giving orders on his father’s behalf on his bad days. He helped bathe and clothe him every day. He fed him his meals and his father did not want anyone to see him in such a weak state. Kai aged mentally overnight, he had to, for the sake of his father and for himself. He now had other worries such as how much food there was in the village’s storage, when to harvest the next crops, and how many children were being born. The stress was visibly draining him, but he had Kyungsoo to take his mind off of things.

Kyungsoo would tell him about trivial things like how he almost chopped off his toe while preparing a meal for a big feast. Or how he helped some of the village mothers keep the children under control. His life was simple, it was static, it was carefree, unlike Kai’s. Kai found himself feeling resentful at times, but knew it was just because of the stress of his new status. No one in the village knew how ill the Zipa was, or that Kai was taking over behind the scenes. It was better that way, because if they knew then strain would be put on the villagers themselves and Kai did not want that.

Kai sighed, he knew being the Zipa was not all fun and games and that it was serious business, but he had not foreseen this amount of stress. He gazed out the window longingly at the downpour of rain. He desperately wanted to be somewhere else, looking at his father, sallow and gaunt, his eyes fluttering as a drop of sweat rolled into his pillow. Kai swallowed, and blotted his father’s head. “Father.” he whispered, not expecting a response. He felt his chest tighten and a tear fell onto his father’s blanket, turning the spot a darker shade of brown.

“Go.” His father’s whisper was barely audible.

“What? No, you need me here, I’m not going to leave your side.” Kai gripped his father’s frail hand.

“I’m fine. Go and take your mind off of things, I’ll be fine, I’m not going anywhere.” He tightened grip Kai’s hand.

Kai nodded, a small smile forming on his lips. “I’ll be back soon, to feed you your evening meal.”

 

~*~

 

Kai burst into Kyungsoo’s room, “Come on!” He grabbed Kyungsoo’s arm and pulled him after him.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

“Slow down!” Kyungsoo cried, “Wait aren’t you supposed to be with your father?”

Kai flinched as if he had been hit. “He said I could go out for a little while, to have some fun.” He led Kyungsoo outside to the back of the palace where there was a small playing field set up. “I’m going to show you how to play one of my favorite games.”

Kai set up a clay board a few yards away and came back with several multicolored discs. “It’s called _turmequé_. So the goal is to knock that smaller stone off with the disc. Each time you do, you get a point. The closer you hit towards the center the higher the amount of points you get. First one to fifty wins and gets _chicha_ to drink, but seeing as it’s just you and me, the loser has to do something embarrassing.”

Kyungsoo nodded and took his share of the discs. “Why are we so far away from it?”

“To make it difficult.” He clapped a hand on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, just imagine you’re shooting at it with an arrow.”

Kai grabbed one of the discs and flung it towards the clay board, knocking off the pebble with precision. “See? Just like that.” He grinned at Kyungsoo who stared at him in disbelief. He liked that about Kyungsoo. It did not take much to impress him or shock him.

Kyungsoo attempted but failed miserably. “I don’t like this game.”

“Why? Are you afraid that you will lose?” Kai smirked, he was already thinking of what embarrassing acts he could make Kyungsoo do.

“No, I’m afraid of what you will make me do. And you already have three points.” He fiddled with the disc in his hands nervously.

“Let’s just try a couple of rounds and if you still don’t like it we can do something else.” Honestly Kai did not care what they did, so long as he was outside and away from the sadness that hung over his father’s room like a cloud.

“Fine.” He tossed another disc at the target and managed to knock the pebble off. “I did it!” He jumped up and down in excitement and clapped. He ran to put the pebble back in place and see how far from the center he hit. “I get two points, I think. It’s not that far from the center.”

"It’s not that bad is it?” Kai tossed another disc towards the clay and managed not to knock the pebble off. He smiled to himself, “Not even I hit it every time!”

They played several rounds and eventually Kyungsoo won. He accused Kai of letting him win but Kai denied it. Truthfully he did let him win, but only because he wanted to see his face light up like it did. It was nice to be around someone who did not have the whole world to carry on his shoulders, someone who lightened the mood and made him laugh even in his darkest moments.

There was a clap of thunder and rain soon followed, Kyungsoo gaped at the sky, “We should head in, don’t you think?”

“No, now it’s time to mud wrestle!” Kai charged towards Kyungsoo wild with glee. He crashed into but twisted in the air so he landed on his back and not on top of Kyungsoo. He rolled over and pinned him down. “You have to put up some kind of fight, don’t make it too easy.”

Kyungsoo laughed and pushed Kai off of him and stood up, his back covered in cool mud. He circled Kai trying to find a weak spot and eventually tackled him to the ground. “Now who’s not putting up a fight?”

Kai rolled over and sat on Kyungsoo, “Clearly it’s you.”

“No.” He shoved Kai and they grappled in the mud for a few minutes. He was at a slight disadvantage, but the mud made him slippery so he used that to keep from losing. He wriggled out of Kai’s choke hold and knocked his legs from under him. They rolled over one another a few times until he used all his strength and just lay there, looking up at Kai as dirty water dripped from his hair.

“I win.” Kai smirked.

“Get off me.” Kyungsoo squirmed underneath Kai.

“Make me.”

“I’ll bite you.”

“Do it.”

Kyungsoo bit Kai’s arm and Kai jumped off him.

“I didn’t think you’d actually do it.” He rubbed the small ring of teeth marks imprinted in his skin.

“I didn’t think I would either, to be honest.” Kyungsoo blushed bright red. His face was streaked with dirt and mud as was the rest of his body. The rain caused some of it to slide off of him, but not much of it.

Kai laughed and pushed his hair out of his eyes, he was still breathing heavy from their skirmish. “Thank you for tonight.”

“I didn’t really do anything.” Kyungsoo cupped his hands to catch rainwater to rinse his face.

“You kept my mind busy.” Kai watched him splash the rain water on his face. “Follow me, I’ll take you somewhere you can clean yourself off.”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo glanced over at Kai, “Thanks.”

Kai sighed, he knew after he got clean he would have to head back to his father’s room to feed him his evening meal and keep watch over him.

 

Later, in Kai’s room, Kyungsoo sighed, “Tonight’s the last night we do this.”

“I know.” Kai rolled over to face him. Kyungsoo’s eyes were half closed and he could feel his breath.

“Your father needs you more than I do.”

“I know.”

“You should probably go now, I’ll be fine, I’m tired enough to fall asleep now.”

“I’ll wait until you actually are, then I’ll leave.” He gently tucked a lock of Kyungsoo's hair behind his ear.

“Don’t.” Kyungsoo yawned and rolled over.

“Don’t what? Wait until you fall asleep or touch you?”

Kyungsoo inhaled deeply and remained silent.

Kai sighed and rolled over and waited until Kyungsoo fell asleep. It wasn’t until hours later, but Kai did not mind. He pulled the blanket over Kyungsoo’s bare shoulder and headed to his father’s room where he remained the rest of the night, keeping a silent vigil, waiting for his father’s last breath.

 

~*~

_Day I don’t know:_

_Kai keeps trying to avoid the subject of his father. Whenever I ask him about him at night, he says the same response and pretends to be asleep. I eventually stopped asking him. I know it worries him, but I try to keep his mind off of it the best I can. I’ll bring up unrelated topics or tell him about my day. He tries to listen, but I can see the faraway look in his eyes. Sometimes I wished his father would hurry and pass, but I know I’m just being selfish. I don’t get to see him much anymore. I consider myself lucky if I catch a passing glance from him once in a while. He clearly has not been sleeping. There are large bags under his eyes and he looks as if he lost a bit of weight. But there is nothing I can do, I can’t help him or his father, so I keep myself busy in the village. I keep my mind off of him, but then I find myself dwelling on bad things. The feeling is back. The dread. Something bad is going to happen soon, something really bad. I think it will change my life forever. I don’t know why I feel this way, but I’m scared. I’m so scared. I can’t sleep at night. Every time I blink my eyes I see fire, I can’t explain is what happening. When I do sleep, it invades my dreams. I see strange shapes carrying torches, lighting everything on fire. Destroying everything. I keep telling myself it’s just a dream, but I wake up in a cold sweat. I still feel the heat of the flames licking my skin._

~*~

 

Three weeks later Kyungsoo found himself staring out his window. He grabbed his sketchbook and flipped through the pages. He had been drawing in his sleep lately and the drawings scared him more than the dreams. He kept drawing everything on fire or distorted by dark clouds of smoke. He pressed his hands against his temples, the fire had invaded his drawings, he could not escape.

He decided to go check on Kai, who said he wasn’t feeling too well and brought his sketchbook with him. He hoped that looking at his old sketches would cheer him up. He pushed the door open, “Kai?”

Kai was lying on top of his blankets, his arm thrown over his forehead. He sat up and forced a smile. “Hey.”

“I figured you need some cheering up, so I brought my sketchbook so we could look at some drawings and make up stories like we used to.”

 _Used to._ The phrase flew out of Kyungsoo’s lips before he could catch it. He saw the twinge of pain flash across Kai’s face.

He sat next to Kai and started from the very first drawing he drew of an insect sketched in black and white. Kai smiled, “This was before I found you right?”

“Yes.”

“Do you ever regret it? Me finding you?”

“Never, you changed my life.” Kyungsoo smiled, “In a good way. I haven’t been this happy ever.”

Kai’s smiled returned. “Same here.”

They flipped through his sketchbook for a few hours and made up stories for every picture. They reminisced over the candid drawings Kyungsoo drew of Kai on his birthday and laughed at his failure of drawing that orange monkey. Kai started to turn the page but Kyungsoo slammed the sketchbook shut.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Those next few are personal.”

Kai grinned and snatched the sketchbook away from him, “That must mean they’re pictures of me. Since the last time-” He stopped and stared at the drawing of the village on fire.

“I did not want you to see that.”

“What is this?” He gaped at Kyungsoo.

“I’ve been drawing in my sleep. I think they’re from my dreams I’ve been having recently.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You have enough on your plate right now. I did not want to add to your stress.”

“You should have told me. those types of dreams are important.” Kai ran his fingers through his hair. “How long ago did you draw these?”

“I don’t know.” Kyungsoo scratched his head. “About a moon cycle ago.”

“Oh.” Kai was about to say something more when a servant burst into his room.

“Young Master come quick! The Zipa he calls for you!” The servant huffed.

Kai glanced at Kyungsoo, “Come with me.”

“But-” The servant began.

“That’s an order!” He barked. Kyungsoo followed after receiving a dirty look from the servant.

Once in his father’s room Kai fell to his knees at his father’s side. “Paba, what is it?” He resorted to calling his father the way little children addressed their fathers.

“Give me your hand.”

Kai grabbed his father’s hand gently. His eyes filled with tears, he turned to the servant and glared at him until he left the room. Kyungsoo shifted uncomfortably by the door.

“Come closer to me.” He whispered.

Kai leaned closer, “I’m here.”

“I love you.”

“I love you to Paba, but why are you telling me this now?”

“Because this is it. I can hear the Goddess calling my name. I’m going to return to her once again.” His voice crackled and he swallowed painfully.

“Stay, please for a little while longer. Please.” Kai was crying.

“What did I say about crying, son?” The Zipa wiped his tears away.

“Only cry in the presence of the Goddess, or when I’m alone.”

“Good. Good. You’ll make a fine Zipa, Kai.” He closed his eyes and breathed a shallow breath.

“Wait!”

“I’ll be with you in spirit, until we meet in the next life.”

Kai nodded, biting his lip and hiccupping.

“Until next time, son.” He let out his final breath.

“Paba.” Kai sobbed over his chest, his whole body shaking. “Paba, no.”

Kyungsoo slowly walked over to Kai and placed his arm around him. Kai turned and cried on his shoulder. Kyungsoo rubbed his back and told him it would be okay. There was a tiny voice in the back of his mind that told him it was only the beginning to worse times to come, he forced it down into the depths with the rest of his dread.

Kai cried for the whole night while Kyungsoo held him. He never had seen him so broken in his time of knowing him. He held the child-like Kai all night, whispering lullabies he heard the mothers of the village sing to their sleepless children.

 

~*~

 

It was days before Kai even left the bed. He did not want to be part of the funeral preparations, so Kyungsoo took his place. He helped move the body and prepare it for sending off into the lake, Guatavita. That lake was where life began and ended, babies were washed with the water from that lake on the day of their birth. The dead were cremated on it. One went full circle in this village.

On the day of the funeral and the official final day of mourning, Kyungsoo helped Kai prepare himself. He drew the coal around his eyes and painted his skin with the signs of mourning. He helped Kai put on the traditional neck dress and headdress made of gold. They both collected the gold trinkets that his father had in his room and carried them to the lake.

Kyungsoo placed the trinkets he collected around him as well and said his thanks and prayed. Kai stared at the face of his father solemnly as he placed the gold trinkets around him. He said his thanks and prayed to their Goddess that he should have a safe trip to be with her in the afterlife. He was the last to do so, so he had the honor of lighting the torch and sending his father off. With a gentle push, the raft began floating and Kai tossed the torch on top. He watched with expressionless eyes and the oils caused his father to burst into flame. Everyone joined hands and began singing the mourning song accompanied by someone playing drums and another one playing woodwind type instrument.

No one disrupted this moment, they were all too consumed by grief, even the infants stopped their wailing. The children who did not fully understand the concept of death, cried into their mothers’ and fathers’ legs. They sang until the sun rose, until the flames died down and the raft sank, until their voices were hoarse, and until they could shed no more tears. Then they all slowly dispersed, returning to their homes to cook or clean or get ready to hunt. The days of mourning were over and everyone moved on with their lives for the time being.

Kyungsoo grabbed Kai’s hand, “Let’s go somewhere.”

Kai stared at the center of the lake, “I can’t I have to start the preparations of becoming the next Zipa.”

“I’ll help you then.” He squeezed Kai’s and Kai smiled at him and nodded.

A few hours later, after they collected the gold trinkets that Kai was given at birth, they split the mound in half and loaded it on a raft, for his first sacrifice to the Goddess. They would have to wait until sunset to send it off, to make sure they were in the presence of the Goddess. Kyungsoo left to help prepare the food for the feast and Kai sat in his room and stared out the window.

At the celebration, Kyungsoo was unnerved at the smiles that covered people’s faces, those same faces that had been twisted his sorrow and grief a few hours earlier. They sang songs of celebration and congratulated Kai on his new era of being their ruler. He smiled and laughed, but Kyungsoo knew it was forced. He could not watch this too much longer and snuck his way back to the palace. Once in his room he began to write.

 

~*~

_Kai has become the Zipa. Well not yet technically, but he has begun the ritual. It’s a rather strange ritual to be honest, but it involves Lake Guatavita. Kai explained it to me in great detail while I was helping him gather his first sacrifice. I had no idea he had that much gold, especially since his room was so bare. But, he told me that was because he did not enjoy looking at gold like his father did so he placed his in a storage room. He already did the first step of becoming the Zipa, which was to sacrifice half of his wealth. The other half would be used at his death. He had several other sacrifices lined up for later dates. All in all, the ritual was ten days long, and after he finished making his sacrifices, he was to retreat to a cave near the outskirts of the forest. He was not allowed to consume salt, be in the company of women, or even venture out in the daylight. After he spends three days in the cave, he will then be brought down to the lake, carried by four men. He will then be stripped naked and will be covered with a sticky paste made from the substance at the bottom of the lake and then have gold dust sprinkled over him until he is covered by it. After this, he will then board a raft with the priests. The villagers will provide him with more gold trinkets that he will take with him and the priests will provide their own. Once they reach the center, he will lift a banner that will signal everyone to become silent. After this he will throw his donated gold into the lake and the priests will do the same. Once they have done this, he will raise the banner again in celebration and return to shore. The night will be filled with laughter, dancing, and drinking. When he awakes the next morning, he will officially be the Zipa. I’m quite excited to see this, I have never seen anything like it before. What Kai told me sounds amazing and I bet it’s even better in person. I think I’ll miss him for the five days he’s gone, but it’s only five days so I can manage. I never thought he’d become such an integral part of my life. He has become the first person I think of when I awaken and the last person I think of before I sleep. I’m not sure what this means for me, but I feel strongly for him. I just hope he feels the same._

 

_~*~_

 

Kyungsoo sighed and gazed up at the moon. “Thank you for bringing me here. I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but I just wanted to thank you for introducing me to these people. For bringing me to Kai.”

“I’d like to thank you for coming to me.” Kai joined him at the window.

Kyungsoo jumped and blushed, “I didn’t mean for you to hear that.”

Kai smiled, “I did.” He turned Kyungsoo’s face towards his and leaned in his nose brushing Kyungsoo’s. “Come with me, to the cave. No one will have to know.”

Kyungsoo nodded and reached for his bag containing his sketchbook, never breaking his eye contact with Kai. He felt his heart speed up and his stomach fill with butterflies. “Okay.” He whispered.

Kai slid his hand into Kyungsoo’s and led him to the edge of the village towards the cave. It was long after dark and everyone was sound asleep. Kyungsoo looked to the sky and marveled at the stars and pointed some out that made shapes as they made their way up the incline to the cave. Kai had a hard time the seeing the shapes that Kyungsoo pointed out and accused him of making them up. They laughed and talked about life after Kai became the Zipa.

“So what will be your first act of duty?” Kyungsoo bumped playfully into Kai’s shoulder.

“I’m going to make you the new Oracle.”

“Why?”

“Your drawings. I think they tell the future, albeit a distant one. You’ve been blessed by the Goddess since you were purified, I think this is what she had in store for you. For us.”

“Us?” Kyungsoo ducked under Kai’s arm as he held a branch back for him to pass.

“Us. Why else would she have brought me to you?”

They had arrived at the cave. It was dark, and cold but they soon had a fire lit and were leaning on each other as they stared into it. Kyungsoo was hyper aware of every move Kai made, whether it was his poking at the fire to keep it burning or each breath he took, Kyungsoo noticed.

“What is the word for caring for someone very deeply?” Kyungsoo asked in a small voice, he could feel his cheeks warming as the blush crept into them.

“You mean like? You already know that word.” Kai side eyed him.

“No. Stronger than like.” Kyungsoo bit his lip. “More passionate than like. I think your father said it to you, but I don’t remember the word.”

Kai turned to face Kyungsoo, “You mean love?”

“Yes.” He bit his lip harder almost breaking the skin.

“Why?”

“No reason.” He swallowed nervously, “Have you ever been in love with someone?”

Kai stopped poking the fire and looked at Kyungsoo incredulously, “Why are you asking such weird questions?”

“Just answer me please.”

“Yes.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

“Oh.” Kyungsoo pulled his knees to his chest. Whoever she was, she must be deserving of his love.

“You’re not going to ask me who?”

"It’s not my place to.” Kyungsoo placed his chin on his knee and sulked. He was afraid to ask Kai who he loved. He was afraid he would say it was not him. He never realized when he fell in love with him, but he knew he was. It was the only way he could explain what he was feeling towards Kai. It was the only thing that accounted for his reaction towards him. The way his heart soared when they were together, the constant joy he felt around him, the way he made his palms sweat, the way he made his toes curl when he thought about him returning his feelings, and the way his pulse sped up when he looked in his eyes. He had never been as happy as he was when he was with Kai.

“If I were you I’d want to know.” Kai smirked.

“Okay, then, who?”

"It’s not your place to know.” Kai held back his laughter and Kyungsoo punched his shoulder.

“That’s not fair!”

“Who said I was being fair?” Kai jumped back as Kyungsoo took another playful swing at him. Kyungsoo jumped up and chased him around the cave, however since his eyes still had little green shadows in them he did not see the rock he tripped over. Kai was at his side immediately.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” He muttered staring at the ground in embarrassment.

“Are you sure?” Kai touched Kyungsoo’s chin and tilted his face up towards his.

Kyungsoo felt his eyes closing and his breath quicken. “Mmm.”

Kai leaned in, his lips gently brushing Kyungsoo’s. When Kyungsoo did not move, Kai pressed his mouth harder against Kyungsoo’s lips, deepening the kiss. He gingerly carried Kyungsoo back towards the fire and laid him on his back, leaving a trail of kisses down his stomach. Kyungsoo clenched his fists and bit his lip to contain the moan that was trying to escape him.

“Is this okay?” Kai asked, fingers prodding Kyungsoo’s thighs.

“Yes.” Kyungsoo dug his finger into the dirt and arched his back.

Their breath mingled and their sweat drenched bodies became one. Kyungsoo did not know where he ended nor where Kai began. All he knew was that this felt right. As he let out one last moan, he collapsed on to Kai’s chest, shaking all over. His mouth found Kai’s and he gently kissed him, wiping Kai’s hair out of his face. Kai smiled and tucked his drenched hair behind his ear. They fell asleep still entangled in one another.

 

~*~

 

A few miles off the coast, a crew member rushed into the captain’s cabin carrying a small bottle he just removed from the fishing net.

“Captain, look! I have found a letter from a man stranded too far from here.”

The captain grabbed the letter, it was a little soaked around the edges, but the print was legible. He read it once, then twice more and began laughing hysterically. “We’ve found it! We’ve found _El Dorado!_ ”

“ _El Dorado?_ But, sir, that’s only a myth!”

“Myth? Do you know how long I have been searching for it?” He grabbed the crew member’s dingy shirt, “My father died searching for it, and now it’s coordinates show up out of the blue just like this? It’s his doing, he wanted me to continue his search!” His eye twitched.

“But what about the man? The one who was stranded?”

“He’s probably dead. Does not matter.” He turned and yelled out the new directions for the skipper to direct the ship to. “We will be the talk of the century!”

The crew member backed out of the captain’s cabin, a frightened look on his face.

“I shall own all the riches of the world!” The captain screamed.

 

~*~

 

Fire hailed from the skies, people screamed, running for their lives. The village was in chaos, children were crying at the feet of their burned mothers and fathers were engaged in a losing battle. Houses crumbled and the palace and temple were ransacked of all its gold. The multicolored pools were filled with floating bodies and the lake was being searched for more gold at the rumors of this village being the fabled El Dorado. Young women were dragged away by their hair, kicking and screaming. Giant plumes of smoke filled the sky with soot. People coughed and hacked, covering their eyes and escaping into the forest. All the preparations of crowning their new king were stolen and destroyed. Their screams could be heard for miles.

_It had come._

_The battle was fought and lost._

Kyungsoo coughed and rubbed the soot from his eyes. He untangled Kai’s legs from his and shook him awake!  “Kai! Kai! Get up! The sky is burning! Everything is burning!”

Kai languidly awakened, eyes watering from the smoke that was streaming into the cave. “What? You’re not making any sense.”

Kyungsoo blinked, and then his eyes grew in horror, "It’s my fault!” He collapsed to his knees, tears of anguish creating pale tracks on his soot covered face. “I should not have sent out that S.O.S.” He dug his fingers into the ground, “I did this!”

Kai’s body went rigid; he stood slowly, unable to comprehend the situation. He looked frantically from the village and back at Kyungsoo. “You? I don’t understand.”

“I sent out an S.O.S. a while back, when I was first accepted into the village, I never wanted to stay here for long, I just wanted to discover new plants and animal species, and then you- you happened and I didn’t want to leave. I still don’t. What we have, I don’t even know how to explain, and it is something that I never thought would happen. I can’t. I’m sorry.” Kyungsoo sobbed into his hands, shaking violently with each gulp of air he took.

Kai stared at him, dumbstruck. “What?”

“What I’m trying to say is that…I love you!” Kyungsoo stood on trembling legs and stumbled over to Kai who stepped back away from him. “I did not think it was possible, but I fell- am still falling for you. Kai, I am so sorry. It should not have ended this way.”

Kai blinked, the profoundness of this moment still had not sunken in. “You love me?”

“Yes!” Kyungsoo gasped.

“Oh.” Kai murmured.

Kyungsoo’s knees folded under him. This was the first time he had ever confessed his love for anyone. His heart sank, and suddenly he felt nauseous and stupid. _Kai was only being nice to me; there were no feelings on his part._ He thought to himself. A hand cupped his face and tilted it up, dried chapped lips crashed down on to his. An explosion went off in his head, his body felt overcome by so many emotions at once that his mind went blank for a second before returning back to last night. He returned the kiss with earnest.

“What’s this?” A loud booming voice shouted.

Kai and Kyungsoo sprang apart, shock adorned their faces, but not an ounce of shame was to be seen.

“Fallen into the fiendish ways of these people, I see.” The man continued, “Wasn’t it you that sent the letter?”

Kyungsoo stared at the armored man.

“Wasn’t it you that said that these people were nothing but animals that needed to be shown the ways of our God?”

Kyungsoo gulped, his eyes growing larger. He never said that, he never said anything of the sort. All he did was express his want to go home and describe that the place was full of vibrant life. The only thing he mentioned of the people was that they did not like him too much, but that was to be expected of an outsider. He was thankful that Kai did not understand his language; he did not need to hear this.

“And now you’re one of them? Condemning your soul to Hell by this act of folly?” The man grabbed Kyungsoo’s jaw and forced him to look at him.

Kai bristled, and attempted to charge the man with his spear, but was taken captive by the other men dressed in armor who arrived just in time.

“Let him go.” Kyungsoo seethed. “He has nothing to do with this.”

“Oh really? Was he not the one you were just committing sin with?” The man jerked Kyungsoo’s face towards Kai, who was huffing angrily.

“Let him go!” Kyungsoo spat in the face of the man and received a hard punch to the stomach in return.

Kai let out an anguished yell and tore away from his captors. Twirling his spear above his head, he stabbed the man in the heart. He knelt over Kyungsoo, “Are you okay?”

“Run! Please, go!” Kyungsoo grunted veins popping out in his forehead.

Kai shook his head, “No, I cannot leave you here with them, they kill you.”

“They’ll kill you too!” Kyungsoo rolled over, his face red with pain.

“Then we’ll die together.” Kai resolutely stated. He stood over Kyungsoo and dared any of the other men to attack him. However due to his lack of knowledge of the world outside of his village, he was not aware of the intruder’s advanced weaponry.

One of the men, knelt down and aimed, Kyungsoo realizing what was about to happen, pushed Kai out of the way and took the shot to his left leg. Blinding pain surged through his body, everything moved in slow motion as he fell to the ground. He heard Kai’s scream and watched as he attacked the shooter, but that was his last memory.

Blackness surrounded him.

 

~*~

 

The constant sound of dripping water resonated in Kai’s head. He groaned and opened his eyes slightly, the dim torches casted off a faint glow that was bright enough for him to just see beyond the metal bars that caged him in. Across from him in the other cell there was someone else laying crumpled in a heap. He tried to shift his weight and hissed at the pain that shot down his arms, he had reopened his cuts. He glared up at the shackles that pinned his arms to his ears. He had already given up trying to slide out of them and his wrists were raw and crusted over with dried blood.

_Kyungsoo._

The name made his heart race, his toes curl, and his stomach turn pleasantly. He wondered where he was and peered to his left where a body laid awkwardly on a cot with one leg bandaged. “Hey.” His voice was barely audible to himself so he cleared his throat. “Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo shifted and then groaned. “You’re awake? How did I get here?”

“After you were hit by that thing, you passed out. I tried to avenge you and killed the man that hurt you, but someone snuck up on me, in my blind rage, and knocked me out. Next thing I knew, I was here. I think I was drifting in and out of consciousness for a while though.” Kai’s arms were burning now, but he swallowed the pain.

“I’m so thirsty.” Kyungsoo croaked.

“Me too.”

 

~*~

 

Some weeks later, Kyungsoo limped down the hallway to the cellblocks where Kai was still being held, with a tray of food. He had been allowed to leave the cell but he preferred to stay with Kai. Kai had been getting quite thin, and was refusing to eat, and this worried Kyungsoo.

He opened the bars and limped over to the bed where Kai laid. “Please eat something.” He pleaded.

Kai struggled to open his eyes, he whispered, “Hold me.”

“Eat. Then I will hold you, okay, just eat, just this once.” Tears filled Kyungsoo’s eyes, he blinked them back.

Kai painfully swallowed a spoonful of soup, “Hold me.” He repeated.

“One more spoonful okay? Everything will be okay, just eat.” Kyungsoo begged.

Kai nodded and closed his eyes. Kyungsoo could see the pain on his face as he swallowed each spoonful, but eventually Kai finished the whole bowl. “Please,” he pleaded, “ hold me.”

Kyungsoo climbed beneath the sweat drenched sheets and carefully folded himself around Kai, noticing just how thin he had become made Kyungsoo’s throat tighten. He kissed Kai’s bony shoulder, dread filling his stomach.

“You ever think about the afterlife?” Kai whispered.

Kyungsoo bit his lip, “I try not to, why?”

“Do you believe in reincarnation then?” Kai’s breath rattled.

“Not necessarily. Kai why are you being like this?” The dread only grew.

Kai rasped, “Please give me hope, Kyungsoo.”

“Hope for what? What do you need?”

“That I may see you again.” He squeezed Kyungsoo’s hand.

“Stop.”

“Stop what?”

“Stop saying things like that! You’re going to get better, and then we’ll buy a house or something! We’ll adopt two dogs and have our very own backyard filled with plants like the ones in your courtyard.” Kyungsoo tightened his arms around Kai.

“Help me roll over,” Kai asked. “I want to see your face.”

Kyungsoo helped Kai roll over and bit back his worry when he noticed how gaunt Kai’s face looked, how close to death he appeared. “Tell me, what do you need? I’ll give it to you! What would make you feel better? I’ll find it! I’ll dive to the bottom of the ocean if I have to.”

“You can’t swim.” Kai chuckled and then coughed, blood spattered onto his pillow, which he tried to hide from Kyungsoo.

“I’ll- anything. Just tell me what you need.” Kyungsoo’s pulse increased at the sight of Kai’s blood.

“Just hold me. You’ve already given me everything I could have asked for.” Kai smiled weakly and closed his eyes.

“I took away your title, I destroyed your village, and I took everything from you. What could I have possibly given you?”

“Love.”

Kyungsoo stared at Kai, his arms rising and falling with each labored breath Kai took. His eyes stung and his throat tightened.

Kai tilted his head up towards Kyungsoo and pressed his lips against his. “That was all I needed from you.”

“Don’t go. Please stay with me.” Kyungsoo cried.

Kai whispered, “Until next time.”

Kyungsoo tasted salt, whether from his own tears or Kai’s, he did not know. He held Kai for the rest of the night, trying to force some of the life out of him and into Kai’s fading heartbeat. When he awoke the next morning, Kai was cold.

_He’s gone._

Kyungsoo gently untangled himself from Kai’s body. He rearranged him onto his back and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead before covering it with the sheet.

“Until next time.”

 

~*~

Kyungsoo sat down and put ink to paper.

_He’s gone. It should not have ended this way. I should have been the one to die. *Sigh* Let me start from the beginning…._

 

~*~

 

Epilogue: Seven Years Later

 

Kyungsoo looked up at the door after an unexpected knock. It was long after dusk and anyone traveling outside at this time of night was begging to be mauled by the mysterious bloodsucking monster that was roaming the forests Eastern Europe.

Kyungsoo had been relocated to explore the forests that surrounded the landscape for evidence of such monster. His discoveries in the New World established him well in the community and he was able to go where he pleased these days. Some rumors about bodies being found drained of all their blood piqued his interest. A few weeks after hearing such, he packed his bags and moved. He never really stayed in one place too long.

Kyungsoo finally got up to open the door and nearly passed out. Standing on the other side was a young man with tanned skin and dark hair that was plastered to his forehead from the rain.

“Are you going to invite me in? I’m not too fond of standing out in the rain.”

Kyungsoo limped aside, his dysfunctional leg was a reminder of what he had lost seven years ago, and gestured for the man to enter, but he remained planted.

“You have to verbalize it.” He hopped from foot to foot.

“Oh. Come in. Make yourself at home.” Kyungsoo could not stop staring at the man; he looked so much like Kai it hurt. “May I ask your name?”

“Jongin.”

Kyungsoo looked to the moon and smiled.


End file.
